


Angel Eyes

by TeaLovingTooru



Series: Blessings [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday Gift For A Friend (I'm Posting Early Because I Won't Have Internet On Her Birthday Lmfao), Domestic Fluff, Everyone Has Kids But Allura, F/M, Holidays, Single Parent Lance (Voltron), Slice of Life, Teacher Allura (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 07:36:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17504357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaLovingTooru/pseuds/TeaLovingTooru
Summary: Being a single parent was hard. It was the hardest thing Lance had ever done, actually. It wasn’t really that he had financial troubles when it came to supporting he and his daughter, it was more so that… he was alone. And he had no clue how to properly raise a little girl. He tried his best of course and he had the help of his parents and his siblings, but… when it was just him, he felt pretty pathetic.





	Angel Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatsformetoknow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsformetoknow/gifts).



> I'm posting it early. Like a month early. Because I want to. Hahahahahahahaaaaaa. No, but fr. Happy (month early) birthday!!! I worked hard. Bls appreciate me.

Being a single parent was hard. It was the hardest thing Lance had ever done, actually. It wasn’t really that he had financial troubles when it came to supporting he and his daughter, it was more so that… he was alone. And he had no clue how to properly  _ raise  _ a little girl. He tried his best of course and he had the help of his parents and his siblings, but… when it was just him, he felt pretty pathetic. 

 

His little girl, his Esmeralda Rose, his Emi… she was his sun, moon and stars. His everything. She was his reason to wake up in the morning and he was fortunate to have someone to take care of this way, even if it meant working two shit jobs just to make sure she could have the princess room all of the other girls did and all of the new Jojo merchandise being sold at Claire’s… it was worth it. She was worth it. 

 

Lance had a pile of bills and a pocketful of cash and he silently prayed that his checks would up to at least twelve-hundred… this was his thought in the morning as he pulled her hair back into a ponytail, the curls trying to fight against the brush he used and Lance kissed her head with every pained whine, promising he was almost done.

 

“The new teacher starts today, daddy… I hear she’s pretty. Like a princess.” Emi said as she played with the hair of the doll in her lap, attempting what Lance assumed was a braid.

 

“Yeah? You like princesses, huh?” Lance smiled as he fit the scrunchie over the hair tie, grabbing her favourite blue bow and clipping it into her hair, grinning when she stood up and dusted off her skirt before climbing into his lap, slumped against his chest. 

 

“Uh huh… princesses are pretty and nice and pretty.” She cooed, working her fingers over the dolls dress now and Lance smiled softly, giving her a soft squeeze.

 

“Well, I am sure your new teacher will be very pretty and nice and pretty...” He smiled, grimacing a little when he thought of who his daughter had before.

 

“I hope she’s nicer than Mrs Honerva… she was scary, daddy.”

 

Ahh, Mrs Honerva… the woman who his daughter had been assigned had quite literally had a mental breakdown and was placed into a psych ward… something about her son being the key to unlocking her ideal universe. It had freaked out all of the children and Emi’d had nightmares for a week. Since then, they’d just been having substitutes cover the class while they looked for a new, permanent teacher, as it was only mid-September. 

 

“Well, honey, I doubt they could have found someone scarier.”

 

“Yeah…” She nodded before she was hopping up and rushing to get her backpack, only to get his keys and hand them to him. “Did you drink your juice, daddy?” 

 

“Yes, princess, I drank my juice.” He smiled, scooping her up and locking the house behind him as he made his way to the car, helping her into her carseat. “Did you happen to get the new teacher’s name?”

 

“Uhh… Miss… Miss… Miss Al- yeah, I don’t remember. You are gonna meet her anyways.” She shrugged, kicking her feet.

 

“Stop doing that, Emi, you’re kicking daddy’s seat.” He reprimanded softly and she gave a soft grunt of ‘sorry’ and he would have said something about it if he didn’t know it was just because she was upset she got told off for fidgeting. “Are you excited to meet the new teacher though?”

 

This… this spiralled Emi into a long story about what she and all of her little friends thought and Lance treasured these moments. It was simple moments like this that made all of the stress and trouble worth it. 

 

“And do you know what Lily said!?” She said in excitement and Lance hummed softly, mind supplying that she was talking about his best friends’ kid. “She said that her mommy went to school with her!” 

 

Lance paused at that. “Really…? Auntie Katie did…?” 

 

“Uh huh! When I went over on Saturday, she said that she had actually gotten a… a ‘direct message’ from her saying they needed to catch up!” 

 

“Huh..” He hummed softly, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel when he stopped at a red light, attempting to go back and think of all of the female friends Katie’d had while she was in college… there weren’t many.

 

Romelle… Shay (kinda)... Acxa… his sister… and… no. It couldn’t be…

 

_ Allura?  _

 

It couldn’t be. It was impossible. That would be way too… what? That would be insane. None of them had heard from her since she had gotten proposed to by her weird muppet boyfriend, but suddenly she was coming back and she was going to be teaching their children? 

 

He had only met her on a handful of occasions, but due to his ex’s… possessiveness, he never actually got to have a conversation with her that wasn’t because a pencil slipped from an open zipper in her bag and he was returning it. 

 

He’d known she was pretty… princess material, even… but it just couldn’t be. 

 

Right?

 

The answer never came to him, because before he knew it, he was arriving at the school, getting her out and walking her to class as he did everyday. After she’d said hello to all of the teachers they passed and a few of her friends, they were headed for her own classroom and Lance was pleased to see that over the weekend, the whole room had been transformed to fit the new teachers personality.

 

The blue, purple and pink decorating the door did little to soothe his objection of it being a girl he had met three times tops… why was he even objecting? She was an amazing person, very kind… maybe it’s because he remembered those things about her and was more than a little nervous that some kind of weird flame would be lit. 

 

And then he saw that damn name tag. 

 

_ Allura Altea. _

 

_ Well fuck. _

 

Lance took a deep breath and squeezed Emi’s hand softly, leading her into the classroom and taking a deeper breath when he saw her. Allura, in all her glory, standing in the middle of the room and smiling as she talked to Hunk and Katie. Well, now there was absolutely no denying it. It was her. 

 

“Um… sweetheart, go put up your things, ok? In the cubby…” He smiled down at her, giving her hand another squeeze before she toddled off to join her friends, walking himself over to the group of adults, smiling when Katie took notice of him and pulled him over. 

 

“Look who it is, Lance! Allura!” Hunk said excitedly and Lance let out an awkward laugh. 

 

“Uh, yeah… Emi kinda told me in the car…” He smiled, trying not to catch Allura’s eye. 

 

“Ah, yeah, sorry. I should have texted you and let you know, but she was there when I found out.” Katie said apologetically, clapping him on the back and suddenly, Lance and Allura were looking right at each other and she was smiling.

 

“Long time no see…” She said softly, holding out a hand for a shake. “Do you have a… younger sibling or something in this class? Or a neice or nephew?” 

 

It made sense she was asking… his ex had made it quite clear to the rest of the group that she had no intention of having children and Allura didn’t seem the type to assume a couple would be broken up after a just a few years. Just look at Hunk and Katie. 

 

“Ahh, um… no. My daughter.” He smiled, shaking his head as he took her hand, giving it a quick shake and making sure the grasp didn’t linger. “She’s… already in kindergarten which is… horrifying to say the least.”

 

That caused a laugh to ripple through Hunk and Katie, the two nodding their assent as they watched their triplets running through the room, little Emi chasing after. Allura though… she just looked confused.

 

“But I thought that you-” And then she paused and gave a smile. “I’m very happy to have her… if she’s anything like her father she’ll be very bright…”

 

Lance thought he might have imagined the blush on her cheeks but he pushed it away, giving her a smile. “Nah… she’s a little genius and I am sad to say she didn’t get it from me.”

 

Allura only tilted her head at that, smiling softly. “I think you are far smarter than you give yourself credit for… in college too.”

 

Lance’s cheeks were a bit pink from that and he bit his lip shyly. “Thank you, that’s very sweet…”

 

And then suddenly the moment was gone because Emi was ramming into his legs and tugging at his shirt. “Daddy! Is she nice?”

 

Lance laughed at that, picking her up and setting her on his hip. “She is very nice…” He said softly before leaning in and whispering into her ear. “Definitely princess material.”

 

Emi giggled at that, smiling at him before whispering in his ear, but it wasn’t really a whisper. “She is, daddy… are you the knight in shining armor?”

 

Lance swallowed and let out a shaky laugh, shaking his head. “No, sweetheart, daddy’s just a commoner.”

 

This didn’t deter her though and she smiled sadly, patting his cheek. “That’s ok, daddy… Aladdin was a commoner too and he married the pretty princess.”

 

Lance set her down and suddenly she was running off and giggling, climbing into a play castle in the corner. 

 

“She likes princesses, then…?” Allura smiled, having caught the tail end of the conversation and thankfully nothing too incriminating. 

 

“Y-Yes…” He laughed awkwardly and he saw Hunk giving him a look of sympathy. 

 

“Well, that’s good… because our theme is fairytale…” Allura smiled softly, beckoning in the class to the reading rug as the rest of the parents made their way towards the door, wanting to get an inch of how she taught. Lance had no doubts. “Alright, boys and girls… we’re all going to have special names in this class.”

 

Lance felt his heart swell as all of the kids began to chatter and ask if they could be certain things before she smiled and raised a finger to her lips to hush them, just as Keith joined their little entourage, giving him a smile and happy to receive one back. Keith was good.

 

“In this class… we’re all gonna be princes and princesses! I believe that all of us have the potential to be royalty, if we only believe and work hard enough for it!” She smiled, watching as the kids all began to get excited, the girls describing to each other what their dresses looked like and boys miming sword fights. It was an adorable sight.

 

Well… nearly. 

 

Sitting next to Emi was Keith’s son, a spritely boy of five who was quiet and withdrawn, just like his adopted father. His name was Jeremiah, but the children all called him Jere, a fond nickname that Lance only heard at the school, as his daughter referred to him as ‘Kitty’, coin to all of the fur always sticking to his black jacket. He looked a bit nervous, a touch sad and it thankfully wasn’t lost on Allura, who stood up and walked over to him, crouching beside him and Lance definitely hadn’t imagined the way Keith tensed beside him.

 

She took a moment to look at her roster, seeing a name that could only belong to the little boy sitting in front of her, the rest having been introduced to her by parents or the other students. “Are you alright, Jeremiah…?”

 

All of the children's chatter seemed to die down at that, all of the parents focusing in on the interaction. How would she soothe a sad and hurting child…?

 

Jeremiah simply shook his head, biting his lip as his eyes filled up and Allura made a soft sound, carefully coaxing him into a hug. “What’s wrong?”

 

“A-All the boys have to be princes… b-but what if I wanna be a princess…?” He sniffled softly and he saw a smile pop onto Allura’s face and she stroked his back. 

 

“You can be anything you want to be…” She smiled and when a few of the boys made faces, Allura was quick to reprimand but kept her voice soft. “In this classroom, we will support each other and be kind… is that understood?” 

 

All of the kids nodded and Lance was happy to see a wide smile on Keith’s face. They’d had an issue before with Miss Honerva when she made Jeremiah have a blue sticker instead of the pink one he so desperately wanted and he had cried when she said that pink was for girls and that was something he was not. He would never forget the anger on Keith’s face that day at the weekly playdate. 

 

All of them had figured by now that Jeremiah was not too comfortable with his birth-assigned gender and they were all very open with their children about what those kinds of things meant, gender and sexuality… none of it mattered unless you were happy. 

 

Later that month, Lance had helped Keith empty out Jeremiah’s room, repaint and redecorate and he’d even helped him shop for clothes that would better fit what he seemed to want and all of the things he seemed to have an eye for. 

 

It was sweet, really, to see someone so small so sure of themselves when it came to something like that and it was even sweeter whenever Emi offered him some of her dresses or when Lily offered to do his makeup with the kit her mommy had bought for her at the store. 

 

It wasn’t so sweet when they all had to watch as he cried because he was worried of someone not accepting him. They’d made it a rule that they wouldn’t do anything he didn’t want or ask for, hence the use of his given name and pronouns, because while they all figured it was headed a certain way… they didn’t want to push him into anything and they decided to let him pace that himself. 

 

All of the parents seemed glad Allura shared the sentiment. 

 

“Well, Princess Jeremiah… would you like to choose our story for today?” He had nodded and given Allura one last hug before grasping Emi’s hand and running towards the bookcase. 

 

“Wait… what do we call you then, Miss?” Rose asked, head tilted. 

 

“I suppose I would be the queen, wouldn’t I?” She smiled and Lance felt his heart squeeze. He couldn’t have asked for a better teacher for his child. 

  
  


* * *

 

 

Lance and Emi had an afterschool tradition for every Monday. They both seemed to be in agreement that Monday’s were the worse and Lance was terribly amused that even his six-year-old daughter noticed how annoying it was to get up on Monday mornings right after the weekend. 

 

Every Monday after she got out of class, Lance would pick her up and hey would forego the car, walking to the ice cream parlour a few streets from the school and they always got the same order. Emi would get two scoops of strawberry cheesecake with whipped cream and chocolate chips, while Lance stuck to chocolate with crushed kit kats and M&Ms, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Yeah… they definitely scrubbed their teeth on Monday nights. 

 

In any case, that was their tradition and it wasn’t one Lance was fond of getting rid of. Why would he? It was he and his little girl, regaling tales of their day and sharing funny stories from lunch and in Emi’s case, recess. However… it was slightly odd now that all of her stories now included a woman he had met when he was fresh out of college and still with her mother, rather than the stories about Jeremiah, Lily, Rose and Angelo swapping snacks during class or about how pretty Jeremiah looked in his sweater…

 

Disconcerting, really. 

 

But Lance took it with ease, having already had four of these stories over the past four weeks, a million more piled in. ‘Miss Allura said that kitties have hair on their tongue, daddy! Jeremiah already knew that though and she gave him a kitty sticker!’ and ‘Miss Allura’s favourite flowers are posies and Lily said she was gonna ask Auntie Katie if she would name the baby that if she ever has another one!’

 

_ Very disconcerting. _

 

He tried not to think too much about Allura but every single time he managed to remove her from his mind, Emi had a new story and he was suffering all over again. He didn’t even understand why she was so in his mind… it wasn’t like they even really knew each other, they’d met a handful of times and had never even had a proper conversation. So what the hell was happening?

 

That’s what he asked himself as he took a bite of his ice cream, pouting down at the bowl before a surprised gasp left Emi’s mouth and he looked up to see her pointing to Allura who had just come inside. He couldn’t catch a break. 

 

And of course… the teacher noticed and she wore a bright smile, walking over to their table. “Well, nice to see you two here!”

 

“Uh huh! Daddy and I come here  _ every  _ Monday!” Emi announced proudly and  _ wow,  _ he wanted to drown. 

 

“You do? How sweet!” She gave Emi a warm smile. “I come here every once in a while… their vanilla soft serve is to die for…” That part was directed towards Lance and he smiled. 

 

“Wow… put our orders together and you have a neopolitan nightmare.” He laughed. “Get any other toppings?” 

 

“Ah, yes! I get gummy bears, strawberry syrup and whipped cream.” She answered with an ease that was definitely practised. She most definitely came here more than  _ ‘every once in a while’.  _

 

“Nice, nice…” He nodded with a grin and was then cut off of his next thought by Emi. 

 

“You should sit here! With us!” And Lance promptly had a heart attack. His daughter was trying to kill him. “There’s more room and daddy says if there’s room and you meet someone you know in public, you should offer!”

 

Allura looked to Lance on this and he gave her a smile and tried his best not to look like he was in pain. God. His daughter was going to be the death of him one day. Allura only laughed softly and slid into the booth opposite of Lance and gave him a smile. He would have been alright had Emi not suddenly slid out of the booth, claiming that she had to pee. Wow… she was definitely his daughter. Shit. 

 

“So…” Allura said softly, a small laugh falling from her lips. “Your daughter sure is something else.”

 

“Yes. Yes, she is.” He said in what he hoped didn’t sound like a groan. But hoping only does so much, because Allura just laughed.

 

“She seems to really love her daddy…”

 

“She’s a daddy’s girl for sure… but it’s not like she could really be… a mommy’s girl. You know?” He smiled softly, head tilted slightly. It didn’t process in his mind that… she didn’t know.

 

“Um… may I ask… what happened?” She bit her lip, expression soft and understanding. 

 

“Ah, yeah… after you moved, my ex got pregnant and… if you were ever around her, you know… she didn’t want kids. She had wanted to get an abortion and that right there told me all I needed to know. I couldn’t be with someone like that anymore and… I told her to let me have the baby and she could just… disappear. And she said yes. And now it’s just me and Miss Emi.”

 

Allura had a fond look on her face when he said that, nodding. “I’m sorry all of that happened…”

 

“No, it’s alright. Seriously, kids were a deal breaker for us both, but… I always hoped she’d change her mind, especially after Katie got pregnant, but… it just didn’t happen and I dunno… everyone says that I just need to find someone now who loves children and wants them and all…” He sighed, shaking his head. “Those kinds of people are harder to find than you’d expect. A lot of the single mom’s in the class keep trying to hit me up, but it’s just for a hookup…”

 

He then realized what he had just confided in her, frowning. 

 

“I am so sorry? We just- I look at you and I think of how like… college?”

 

“Lance, seriously… don’t even worry.” She laughed, shaking her head. “One of the married fathers in the class tried to slip me fifty in exchange for sex… which was insulting, but mostly because he thought I’d put out for fifty dollars. Try  _ at least  _ a hundred.”

 

The joke seemed to bring on a much lighter mood. 

 

“God, yeah… a lot of those guys are creeps. I only let Emi play with their kids if it’s a playdate at my house because I am terrified of like… a full on fight breaking out between the parents while she is over.” He nodded. 

 

“That’s probably wise…” Allura smiled, thanking the waiter when he came and dropped off her ice cream, causing Lance to raise a brow. “What?”

 

“You absolutely come here more than ‘every once in a while’. That guy literally knows your order and just… brought it to you.” He raised an eyebrow, lip quirked up in amusement. 

 

“Ok, listen. I don’t need your judgement.” She pouted, spooning some into her mouth. “I come here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday… sometimes more if it’s been a rough day.”

 

“Allura, that- how are you so  _ skinny _ ?” He said in shock, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. 

 

“I work out a lot.” 

 

“Of course you do…” He snorted, shaking his head.

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“You’re just like… some kind of… wonder woman.”

 

“I am Wonder Woman. Surprise.” She grinned, spooning even more into her mouth and making a sound of satisfaction. 

 

“Holy hell, I never saw it coming, how did you keep it hidden for so long?”

 

“Well… it’s all in a good disguise, you see.”

 

They had a laugh at that and Lance looked around, wondering where Emi was when he saw her sitting at the counter, watching them.

 

“Sorry, daddy… didn’t know when a good time to come back would be…” She giggled and Lance blushed, standing up and picking her up, carrying her back to the booth and letting her sit in his lap.

 

“Yeah, princess? And why’s that?”

 

“You looked like it was a date, daddy.” She grinned cheekily and wow. Allura was even blushing at that statement. 

 

“Haha… don’t be… silly.” Lance flustered out, biting his lip as he turned to look at Allura. “Sorry… kids.”

 

“I really don’t mind…” She smiled. Lance wished it meant more than it probably had. He didn’t know why. 

 

* * *

 

The next time Lance saw Allura, it was at the class Halloween party, which he had volunteered to help with. A group of five and six-year-olds hopped up on sugar was a nightmare he remembered well from Emi’s birthday party. He didn’t want to subject Allura to that her first year of teaching. (More like he just wanted an excuse to see her.)

 

So there he was, toting Emi, the triplets and Jeremiah in the back of his minivan because it was  _ also  _ his day for carpool. They’d all brought goodies from home for the party, the triplets bringing a literal trunkful of sweets, because Hunk was an overachiever and that would never change, something the rest of the parents loved and hated him for. 

 

It was easy to get lost in the holiday joy and seeing a group of children all dressed up for the holiday was precious. Especially when all of their costumes were coordinated, because their parents were admittedly a group of geeks and of  _ course  _ they were Power Rangers. Emi had snagged yellow and Jeremiah got pink, while Rose had red, Lily had blue and Angelo had black. It was fucking adorable and Lance had absolutely taken a billion pictures and his favourite was the one where Emi was giving Jeremiah a peck on the cheek. (He absolutely made it his lock screen.)

 

Cuties.

 

It was hard though, to get all five of them out of the car and to the door, while carrying all of the party goods. He was both ashamed and thankful when he heard someone behind him.

 

“Lance, do you need some help?” And of  _ course,  _ it was Allura. And of  _ course _ , she was dressed as a princess and wow, that dress looked way too good on her. 

 

“No, no, I’ve got it.” He claimed, praying that Allura wouldn’t call him on it. But again. Of  _ course  _ one of the demon triplets ran right into his legs and caused him to drop a box of cookies, his only saving grace was that Hunk had packaged it so securely nothing happened. 

 

Allura only laughed and leaned down, retrieving the cookies and getting a few more trays from the trunk, distributing between the two of them and trusting Jeremiah to carry a small box of juice pouches. “It’s ok to ask for help, Lance. You don’t always have to be Mr. Man.”

 

Lance blushed a little at that and nodded, closing the trunk and swallowing as Allura walked in front of him, the children all giving her ecstatic good morning when she complimented their costumes. Wow. What a woman. 

 

Half an hour later, the party was well underway and Lance and Allura were sat at her desk, sharing the cheesecake Hunk had made specifically for them. All of the students were considerably well behaved, save for the moment Lily threw a juice box at Rose’s face and they ended up in a mini wrestling match. They sure had their mother’s fire and the sight of Angelo cowering a few feet away made Lance laugh a little because he was definitely Hunk’s son.

 

“So. Where’s your costume...?” Allura teased, knees pulled up to her chest in her chair. 

 

“Can’t you tell? I’m Super Dad.” He grinned, striking a pose that made Allura laugh and she nodded.

 

“I almost mistook you for Mr. Man again, honestly, I had to make sure.” She laughed, forking some cheesecake into her mouth and Lance snorted.

 

“I don’t think I have ever heard of this Mr. Man before, care to describe him to me…?” He smiled, sipping from his juice pouch.

 

“Ahh, you know Mr. Man!” She laughed out a groan and Lance’s heart pinched with warmth. “He’s all… kind and considerate, always helpful? Strong, handsome to boot…”

 

Lance blushed at that and he didn’t know if she was saying that about him casually by equality, or if she was just… describing ‘Mr. Man’. “Well… that sure isn’t me, so.”

 

“I beg to differ. You’re kind! You drove carpool so the other parents could sleep in today! You’re considerate, because you care for Jeremiah’s feelings and you never disagree with it…” She listed with a soft smile, cheeks getting a touch pink. “You carried all of those treats for the party this morning, so… that’s strong… and well… I don’t think I need to say anything about the last point, it’s a touch obvious…”

 

Lance stared at Allura for about fifteen seconds before he let out a nervous laugh. “You’re so funny…”

 

Allura only frowned at that and took another bite of her cheesecake. “Yeah… ‘m hilarious.”

 

Lance kinda sorta hated himself for that one.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The next time was on Christmas Eve, location… Katie and Hunk’s house. Yeah. They’d invited Allura, because why wouldn’t they? They’d all hung out in college, so why not include her in the group now? The only obvious answer would be that Lance died a little more each and every single time he got near her. But… nobody fucking else knew that, so why would it matter?

 

They were all relaxing in the living room as the kids played with their new toys in the kids room, because it wouldn’t be Christmas Eve without opening a gift each. Katie was relaxed against Hunk and it didn’t go unnoticed by literally everyone that she was drinking hot chocolate rather than rumnog with the rest of them. 

 

“Katie-”

 

“Yeah, yeah, fuck off.” She groaned, shaking her head. “It’s not my fault my mans is insatiable.” 

 

“You can be insatiable without getting pregnant, Katie, fuck.” Lance snorted, shaking his head and Keith was just grimacing. Poor virgin boy. 

 

“Well, I think it’s great, congratulations.” Allura smiled softly, patting the top of Katie’s hand.

 

“See that? That’s called female solidarity.” Katie glowered at the rest and Keith pouted. 

 

“Hey… I think it’s nice too. I just really… really yikes.” Keith swallowed, looking around. 

 

“It’s ok, Keith. We all know that sex talk is weird for you and your virginal ears.” Lance cooed.

 

“I’m not a virgin, but alright.” He snorted, shaking his head. “I’ve had plenty of sex, the word ‘insatiable’ is just… gross.”

 

The group laughed at that, save for Allura who just wore a soft smile of comfort and there was no denying she belonged there. 

 

With a soft sigh, Lance stood up and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing a wine glass and getting out a bottle of white from the fridge. Hunk wasn’t a big drinker and lord knows, Katie couldn’t really drink it. He filled it up to the brim, far more than the cheap amount fancy restaurants would pour for you. 

 

Leaning against the counter, he took a drink, looking around at the room and thinking of all of the things he had grown so accustomed to in the past few years. Ever since Katie announced her first pregnancy, they all celebrated Christmas together… the first one had included Emi’s mother. They found out she was pregnant on Valentine’s and to say it had killed the mood of a happy holiday was… underwhelming. 

 

He didn’t miss her, not anymore… it was hard to miss someone who had been so needlessly cruel over something he viewed as a blessing. He understood that she hadn’t wanted them, but what he couldn’t understand was how cruel she had been to say in front of him that she would rather have an abortion or physically die than keep their child… knowing his views on that topic and his want to have children.

 

He’d made her the deal to keep the baby that day, made it clear that he wouldn’t make her keep custody of the kid and that he wouldn’t expect a penny from her… and to this day, it remained true. He hadn’t asked her to see Emi and he hadn’t asked for a penny, even when times were tough and he could hardly afford to put food on the table. He had always worked through it and it was something of a miracle that Emi was as happy as she was. He was thankful.

 

He was cut out of his stupor by someone walking in and he looked up to see it was Allura. Ah, just what he needed.

 

“Hey, Allura…” He murmured around the lip of the glass, taking another drink. 

 

“Hi… are you alright? You seem… upset.” She said cautiously, grabbing the bottle and pouring her own glass, leaning on the counter next to him and looking up towards him. 

 

“Mm… no. Just a bit nostalgic, I guess.” He shrugged. “The first time we started doing this, Lucy was around… and… I don’t know. I guess back then, I never expected this to be how my life went. I thought I’d have like… three kids by now, like the rest of my siblings. But I have one. And… I’m single. So…” 

 

Allura nodded in understanding, biting her lip. “I see why… but… is it a bad thing? Sure, you’re single and you have two less kids than you expected to have by now, but… is that so bad? You love your daughter more than most parents do and… even though you’re single, you still make her  _ so  _ happy and even with the undoubted financial troubles… you’re raising a very sweet girl.”

 

Lance looked at her then, biting his lip. “It’s not… necessarily a bad thing. I just… I don’t miss Lucy. I don’t. I just hate that I can’t give her what Katie and Hunk give their kids… two loving parents over one? I can’t even imagine how she feels.”

 

“Well… I can.” She smiled, biting her lip. “It’s not exactly the same, because my mother died and her’s just… well, you know. But… having the love of a parent that is so great it makes up for it is amazing. And I know it makes up for it… because she never stops talking about you. We did these little papers in class, where you had to talk about your hero…? Her’s was about you… it was very sweet. I nearly cried, if I am being honest. You take good care of her, Lance… and she takes care of you too.”

 

He didn’t quite understand what she meant when she said that, but he nodded, because something deep inside told him he  _ did _ and that she was right. So he smiled and nodded and she reciprocated, moving a little closer and resting her head on his shoulder as they stood at the counter, a shy smile on her face as she took another sip of her drink.

 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Lance’s heart feeling more full than it had in a long time and Allura softly rested against him. They stayed like that until Katie and Keith walked into the kitchen, having been gossiping about something before Katie’s face lit up. 

 

“What’s with the grin, you little troll?” Lance snorted out and he saw Keith begin to smile as he pointed above Lance and Allura’s heads. He looked up, heart thundering a bit when he saw the mistletoe above their heads. Shit. 

 

“Well… guess that means a kiss is in order, hmm?” Allura questioned with a smile, setting her glass down and standing before him. “What do you say?”

 

“I say… I say ok.” He said softly, smiling before he gently cupped her cheeks, leaning down and softly pressing their lips together, everyone making oohing noises which caused him to go a billion shades of red. 

 

But when he pulled back, Allura simply smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss, arms wrapping around his neck and kissing him a bit deeper, to which Katie made a sound of excitement and disbelief.  

 

And for once… Lance didn’t have any doubts standing with Allura. 

 

He could do this…

 

 

* * *

 

 

New Years came in a flash and it found Allura celebrating with Lance and Emi at his apartment. Emi had passed out on the couch around nine and they promised to wake her up again to watch the ball drop, the two of them making their way onto the balcony, champagne flutes in hand. 

 

It was warm for December, but neither of them really cared, because it meant that they could watch the stars like this without freezing half to death. Allura was tucked underneath his arm and he was stroking her own softly, giving a soft hum. They weren’t explicitly anything official, perse, but they were definitely more than just talking. 

 

That, however, brought up a question. 

 

“Hey, ‘llura…?” He said softly, leaning down and kissing her head. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Whatever happened to Lotor…?” 

 

He felt a shift then, in the air. It was a touch uncomfortable, sadness tinged with regret. He probably shouldn’t have asked. He definitely shouldn’t have asked.

 

“We… broke up. It wasn’t, uh… it just wasn’t working anymore. And by that, I mean, I ran from the alter because I knew it wasn’t the right choice and I spent far too long avoiding it. He… I’ve talked to him a few times since then and we’re alright now and he understands, apparently, he even found someone new… I’m happy for him, he deserves the best.”

 

Lance remembered Lotor pretty well. The man had been a bit rough around the edges, anxious about the group of strangers he had been integrated into because Allura wanted him to be close to her friends… he was nice though, when the situation called. 

 

He remembers once when Keith was upset because someone spilt coffee all over his laptop and had volunteered to help him fix it, or the time Katie had fallen asleep in the library and he had sat with her until she woke up, draping his coat over her shoulders… 

 

He was a good guy. Really.

 

Lance nodded softly, biting his lip as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple and he was relieved when she smiled up at him. “Seems we all just gotta move on and find something better for ourselves, huh…?”

 

She grinned softly at that and nodded, biting her lip. “Yes… so it seems.”

 

Lance proudly kissed her at midnight and the sound of Emi’s cheers made his heart melt.

 

This was right.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The days leading up to Valentine’s were… never exactly a happy time for Lance. Or… they hadn’t been before. They absolutely were now. Because now, he had two beautiful girls to celebrate with. Though… one was still unofficial, but that would be changing very soon if he had anything to say about it. 

 

He and Emi were sat at their kitchen tables, making Valentines for their ‘loves’ of choice. It didn’t even surprise Lance when Emi pulled out her glitter stickers and began pulling off the letters to spell ‘Kitty’. It did surprise him when she pulled off stickers for him that spelled out ‘Allura’. He accepted them with a blush and stuck them down to the edge of the table, grabbing scissors as he began to cut out a pink heart.

 

“So, daddy… are you gonna ask Miss Allura to be your girlfriend?” Emi smiled, using the kid scissors and then pouring glue around the edges before pouring glitter all over it. Lance would have scolded her for getting it on the floor if he hadn’t done the same the previous year. 

 

“I… I think so.” He smiled, biting his lip. “Would you be ok with that…? If I asked her to be my girlfriend?” 

 

Emi gave him a look, raising an eyebrow. “Of course, daddy… if she makes you happy, you should ask her. Plus… she’s really pretty.”

 

Lance snorted at that, kissing her head. “Thanks, dork.”

 

“Welcome, loser.”

 

Lance was once again reminded of how lucky he was. 

 

The next morning, Lance found himself tying a bright pink ribbon into her hair, the pink and red hearts on her dress really setting the tone for the day. 

 

“Me and Kitty are gonna match! We made sure!” She said excitedly and Lance smiled.

 

“You know, Emi… if I didn’t know any better, I may think you had a  _ crush  _ on Kitty.”

 

“Of course I do. So pretty…” She smiled, drumming her fingers on the carpet. “Really like Kitty.”

 

Lance smiled softly, biting his lip and nodding. That was cute. Wow.

 

Soon after that, they had all of their cookies in the trunk and they were on their way, Emi singing loudly in the back. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

When they got to the school, Lance cleared his throat and helped Emi out of the car, handing her the card he made for her and biting her lip. “Ok, sweetheart… I need you to give this to Miss Allura… and I need you to make sure she knows its from me…”

 

Emi nodded excitedly, separating from her daddy after he put the cookies on the table and gave her a kiss on the head. A few minutes later, once Kitty got there, she dragged the two of them to Allura’s desk.

 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Miss Allura!” Emi smiled up at her, holding her arms out to her and letting out a happy sigh when Allura gave her a hug. 

 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart…” She smiled softly, biting her lip. “Do you have a Valentine?”

 

Emi nodded excitedly and showed her how her hand was clasped in Kitty’s. “Kitty’s always my Valentine!”

 

“I see… you two are so cute.” Allura smiled. 

 

Emi beamed at the praise before she paused, suddenly holding out the card from her daddy, the pink envelope labelled ‘Allura’ in a sparkly blue pen, with a small, shaky heart next to it… her daddy had been unsure about that part, but he decided last minute to add it. “This is for you! It’s from daddy!”

 

Allura smiled softly, biting her lip and thanking her, watching as she giggled and ran off with Jeremiah. She slowly sat down, crossing her legs and carefully opening up the envelope, slipping out the card and letting out a soft gasp.

 

It was a beautiful pink colour, a red doily decorating the edges, glitter and rhinestones decorating the surface.  _ ‘Allura’  _ the cover read and she blushed softly as she opened it up, biting her lip. The inside message… _ ‘Hey, Allura. I know this is pretty cheesy, but so am I. I want you to be my Valentine… and my girlfriend too. Probably. Anyways. I am clearly not there to hear your response so… my number is 726-2001. Alright. Yikes. Happy Valentines!’ _

 

Allura laughed softly as she pulled out her phone, opening a new text box.

 

**_To XXX-726-2001:_ **

_ I’d love to be your Valentine… and your girlfriend too. Probably. _


End file.
